New and Experienced climbers over 50 #21

I first did what is now called Guides Wall back in 1964 or 5. We thought that the expectation was to go to the top. We stopped a LONG way short of that goal and considered it a failure. Since then, going to the top has never again been part of the plan.

Alan Rubinwrote:

I first did what is now called Guides Wall back in 1964 or 5. We thought that the expectation was to go to the top. We stopped a LONG way short of that goal and considered it a failure. Since then, going to the top has never again been part of the plan.

I did it with Steve Angelini in the mid 70's and we went to the top.  Since then I have done it separately with Zeb and Nika and never thought about going to the top.  Why?  Smarter?  Lazier?  

Sorry to fail the old-school climber's test, but we didn't go to the top after finishing the Guides Wall and never planned to go to the top.  But what we did do to keep our old-school bona fides intact was to descend via the gully on the West side.  No bolts on the route to rap from and it never even remotely occurred to us to rap the route.  On my second time up the route in 2017, the gully looked pretty serious, and I wondered how we marched down it unroped with no rappels---seemed casual at the time.

I don't think Guides Wall was ever commonly done to the summit of Storm Point.  40 pitches?  Above the pay grade of most climbers then...and now (ha ha).  Its a long ways.

Those that had history on that area are a who's who of climbers for sure.

LO's guide in '56 kinda referenced the area, but, by the '65 version he mentions that its more commonly done as a shorter route, with the git off down the gully.

Storm Point with the long ridge on the left in the photo.  Pointy feature to the right is Ice Point.  Peak/summit on the far right is Symmetry Spire.

Just read a great Jack Turner story about trying to climb the durance rt on Symetry when they were teenagers with 3 pitons, about the same number of Crabs and 120ft of rope...  east ridge was pretty fun with a modern rack and a 70m 7.8mm rope ;) 

Beautiful pictures and descriptions Nick, Brian and Eric. A world away so it’s great to know what the other half is doing.  Keep posting and ‘splaining… it’s all gorgeous.

I was determined to find the single patch of white sage that I knew of here in the park. I hunted for three days and finally found it this morning under the Sphinx.  The selfie was because I was so pleased with myself.  Can’t pick any of it but no less happy to have found it.

Speaking of Sphinx Rock… I was here a year ago with someone else and made a feeble attempt on this route.  I called whoever did the FA a “maniac” because the first bolt felt a million dangerous miles off the ground.  Turns out the maniac was Bob… guilty as charged.  But this morning it didn’t look nearly so maniacal.  Has the route been rebolted or have I just grown up?  

If that is the white sage plant in your last picture then that is the saddest white sage I have ever seen.  We have lots of it around here but you do need to walk a couple miles up hill to get to it.  The purple sage was spectacular this year in our local hills.  Best I have ever seen.  We got just enough rain at all the right times for a pretty darn good flower year.   We did one hike this spring where we saw 75 different types of flowers in the 6.5 miles of the hike.  It was pretty incredible.

Lori Milaswrote:

Speaking of Sphinx Rock… I was here a year ago with someone else and made a feeble attempt on this route.  I called whoever did the FA a “maniac” because the first bolt felt a million dangerous miles off the ground.  Turns out the maniac was Bob… guilty as charged.  But this morning it didn’t look nearly so maniacal.  Has the route been rebolted or have I just grown up?  

Not rebolted. Perception is colored by experience.

Actually a well protected route. And, though rather short, it seems to involve a large number of "small moves," making it seem longer than you would expect.

It's a start:

Background to this photo:

My wife and I have moved five times in the last ten years, with all of those being rentals.  We also had a kid.  I love gardening, but it just hasn't been possible to "set down roots" in one place.  Last fall we bought a house where we plan to live and raise our daughter.  It felt good to get my hands dirty, construct the first of what will be a series of terraced raised beds, and get those first herbs and veggies in the ground.

I will also start kale, beets, and swiss chard from seed, as those can go well into late fall (in fact my experience is that kale gets sweeter when it gets below freezing).

In other news, this Friday I head to Rumney for a four day weekend with my wife, daughter, and another climber family with kids.  Weather does not look 100%, and my elbow is not 100%, but I am 100% excited about getting whatever I can from the trip.

GO

Gabe, what's this in your garden?  Tomatoes and basil?  This looks like a great start to a wonderful lifelong garden.  It must feel great, knowing you are going to stay, that this plot is yours, you can dig in and look to the future.  A garden always means hope to me.  Your daughter will love it, too.

I feel almost a little silly, digging summer here the way I do.  It is the utmost of carefree-ness in a way I haven't felt since kindergarten.  It is total play, frolic, and unleashing all my curiosity.  The quiet and solitude are so profound... yet I feel like I'm playing with the ants, the lizards, the ravens as everyone bustles about.  I feel no pressure to climb or get anything done--only to roam, go find the next thing that catches my eye.  

There is no place quite like this on earth for me... this rock, the little cave I stop and cool off in.  It's magnificent, and I feel ancient around it.  

Jan, you didn't actually criticize my white sage, did you?  This plant had to STRUGGLE.    I have been assured there is more elsewhere... but this is the only one I know of, growing all by itself.  

I have never been more aware than now how tender this earth is, how fragile.  Walking out towards Watergate yesterday, and tiptoeing off trail (because the trail disappeared for a minute), there are hundreds of little burrows under the ground... hundreds of homes, and if you trod too hard, they collapse,  You can kick over a tiny cactus that has been struggling to take root for years.  Desert tortoises are trying to keep shelter underground.  Unlike the Sierra where you can hike and trample on shrubs and manzanita and bushwhack...it will all grow back... here anything you pick or destroy may not grow back.  I understand now why I had to argue with Bob so hard when I found a raven feather and wanted to take it with me up Sail Away.  LEAVE IT ALONE.  
 

I discovered a patch of canterbury bells two years ago, growing right where we were climbing.  I've since found one other place they grow.  They appear for a few weeks, in only a few secret places.  

Lastly... Tony is a changed man.  His surgery is this Saturday. When i actually looked at the video of what's involved here, I broke into tears and asked him not to do it.  I just absolutely fell apart. I would not have this surgery!!!  He has sat here at home, moped, been pretty depressed for months now... to the point where I was wondering if something was really wrong with him.  But yesterday he suddenly came alive... got out for awhile, cracking jokes... this morning he drove to Palm Springs to get a haircut and trim...bought a ton of groceries.  Suddenly it occurs to me that time is near... he sees an upcoming liberation.  Could it really be that?  Could it really be that he's just been so despondent, waiting so long for this final surgery?  It's almost like the old Tony is back already. 

Gabe, What are you doing for ‘critter protection’ for your garden? That has been the bane of our gardening efforts out here—one of the downsides of living in the woods—we have loads of critters big and small—and they are all hungry!!!!

Have a great trip to Rumney. Don’t overdo!!!!

Lori, from all that you’ve written, it seems like Tony sees this, risks and all, as his best shot, so is trying to approach it in a positive manner. Best wishes for both him and you.

Lori Milaswrote:

Lastly... Tony is a changed man.  His surgery is this Saturday. When i actually looked at the video of what's involved here, I broke into tears and asked him not to do it.  I just absolutely fell apart. I would not have this surgery!!!  He has sat here at home, moped, been pretty depressed for months now... to the point where I was wondering if something was really wrong with him.  But yesterday he suddenly came alive... got out for awhile, cracking jokes... this morning he drove to Palm Springs to get a haircut and trim...bought a ton of groceries.  Suddenly it occurs to me that time is near... he sees an upcoming liberation.  Could it really be that?  Could it really be that he's just been so despondent, waiting so long for this final surgery?  It's almost like the old Tony is back already. 

Fingers crossed for Tony and you.  Keep the faith.

Lori, I was making fun of your white sage but the fact that it grows in Josh at all is pretty amazing.  As to those blue bells, ask Kris about those.  I know that he just loves them to death, almost.

GabeOwrote:

In other news, this Friday I head to Rumney for a four day weekend with my wife, daughter, and another climber family with kids.  Weather does not look 100%, and my elbow is not 100%, but I am 100% excited about getting whatever I can from the trip.

GO

Have a great time, Gabe.  Hope tthe weather will be better than forecasted and the crowds thinner than usual.
I have stopped going to Rumney on weekends.  Only been there once in the past 1.5 years.  Have not missed it, strangely enough.

Alan Rubinwrote:

Gabe, What are you doing for ‘critter protection’ for your garden? That has been the bane of our gardening efforts out here—one of the downsides of living in the woods—we have loads of critters big and small—and they are all hungry!!!!

Have a great trip to Rumney. Don’t overdo!!!!

Haven't seen deer, but there are plenty of bunnies and birds.  No protection yet aside from a fence that has enough gaps in it that any self respecting bunny would have no difficulty in eating its fill.  I doubt there will be that much interest from the local wildlife on anything there now.  Once the greens come up we'll see what the bunnies think.  And then once the fruit trees go in, it will really be game on.

I will try not to overdo it (climbing this weekend).  Generally with munchkins in tow I don't actually get that much climbing in, so there is some level of protection without any actual willpower or restraint required.

GO

Jan Mcwrote:

Lori, I was making fun of your white sage but the fact that it grows in Josh at all is pretty amazing.  As to those blue bells, ask Kris about those.  I know that he just loves them to death, almost.

https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2022-04-12/wild-white-sage-poaching-smudge-sticks

This story is about the white sage poachers stealing it from a protected habitat just across the wash from me in Rancho.  This was the first I ever hear of it, I guess it's pretty abundant right there.

On one of my climbing days to Fairview Mountain this Spring, the place was abundant with the desert Canterbury Bells!  So beautiful - they were everywhere!

phylp phylpwrote:

On one of my climbing days to Fairview Mountain this Spring, the place was abundant with the desert Canterbury Bells!  So beautiful - they were everywhere!

They just about killed Kris.  They are a member of the Phacelia family and some people are highly allergic (worse than poison oak!).  I have had symptoms from hiking in it here in SoCal but Kris has gotten bit really badly twice in Josh.  So caution is advised before touching the leaves of that stuff.

Huh, never heard of phacelia or canterbury bells causing a reaction.

Bob, glad you got fixed up, and sorry you couldn't make it to COR. Erika was right, though, the weather was all over the place ---plus wind. And more wind. Then windy. We had a second round of snow, followed by too hot. I actually departed a few days early. Today was our first 100 degree day, and I wanted to keep the garden alive.

All the recent rains did make both Boise and City eye popping green. I've never seen it this green, and so abruptly. It'll be fleeting, though.

Arrow leaf Balsamroot isn't usually waist high, either...

We did have some spectacular sunsets, though. Maybe someone else will post up? Most of the people up at the group camp were lurkers in the forums, though, so you might not get much for pics or stories.

For me, it turned out to be a people trip. Ran into 3 different young people, and each of those turned into stories and friendships. Also camped right next to the climbing team from my gym in Boise....twice, 2 weekends and 2 different locations, lol!

Really glad to be home, though. I was gone more than 2 weeks, camping in the great dustbowl the first half of it. Drifts of dirt in everything, everywhere. It's also nice to have no plans whatever, for the foreseeable future.

Lori, best wishes to Tony and you! Hope it goes as planned, with a speedy recovery and the hoped for outcome!

Best, a really tired H. :-)

Old lady Hwrote:

Huh, never heard of phacelia or canterbury bells causing a reaction.

Bob, glad you got fixed up, and sorry you couldn't make it to COR. Erika was right, though, the weather was all over the place ---plus wind. And more wind. Then windy. We had a second round of snow, followed by too hot. I actually departed a few days early. Today was our first 100 degree day, and I wanted to keep the garden alive.

All the recent rains did make both Boise and City eye popping green. I've never seen it this green, and so abruptly. It'll be fleeting, though.

Arrow leaf Balsamroot isn't usually waist high, either...

We did have some spectacular sunsets, though. Maybe someone else will post up? Most of the people up at the group camp were lurkers in the forums, though, so you might not get much for pics or stories.

For me, it turned out to be a people trip. Ran into 3 different young people, and each of those turned into stories and friendships. Also camped right next to the climbing team from my gym in Boise....twice, 2 weekends and 2 different locations, lol!

Really glad to be home, though. I was gone more than 2 weeks, camping in the great dustbowl the first half of it. Drifts of dirt in everything, everywhere. It's also nice to have no plans whatever, for the foreseeable future.

Lori, best wishes to Tony and you! Hope it goes as planned, with a speedy recovery and the hoped for outcome!

Best, a really tired H. :-)

What about the climbing?  Was there any.... or were you the 'watch the sunset' crew? 

There are lurkers?  Really?  I mean... I guess I feel ridiculous.  

It pains me to hear about the blue flowers... I had heard this before, that some people cannot handle them and really react.  I am glad I didn't sneak a flower when I found some a few months ago... it took all self-restraint not to bend over and pick a few.   But it pains me more to see that folks here have mountains of white sage, blue flowers in profusion... and I cannot even estimate the number of hours/miles I have spent searching out the lone bush or the lone flower.  Days.  Weeks, really.  I thought I was on to something special. 

I know there are perfectly qualified people here in Joshua Tree who are botanists and herbalists and who offer classes.  That goes on the list.  

I hope some pictures will get posted of COR.  Helen... did you climb AT ALL?    

White Sage = Hippy Pot O’ Gold

Years of Woofuckists and vision-questers have stripped the desert of this variety in their never ending quest to rid their shanty shacks of demons and bad vibes.